Camera module

ABSTRACT

A camera module is disclosed. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the camera module includes a lens unit, an image sensing unit, which converts light received through the lens unit to an electrical signal, a housing, which supports the lens unit, and a shield can, which supports a lower side of the housing and is made of a conductive metallic material so as to shield an electromagnetic wave.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No.10-2009-0120038, filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office onDec. 4, 2009, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present invention is related to a camera module.

2. Description of the Related Art

In step with the recent trends toward smaller and thinner mobiledevices, including mobile phones, there is a growing demand for reducingthe size of components mounted on the mobile device. Together withmaking the mounted components smaller, high integration technologies areemployed to provide improved functionalities of the mounted components.

Particularly, the camera module employed in the conventional mobiledevice is commonly employed in a camera phone, a PDA, a smart phone anda laptop computer. Accordingly, despite the compact size, the cameramodule needs to be equipped with a higher-performance photographingfunctionality to address various tastes of consumers.

Furthermore, in order to cope with the trends toward smaller electronicdevices on which the camera module is mounted, the camera module needsto be smaller. At the same time, the camera module needs to be equippedwith an electromagnetic shielding capability in order to protect circuitcomponents inside the camera module.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides a camera module that can cope withspatial limitation.

An aspect of the present invention provides a camera module thatincludes a lens unit, an image sensing unit, which converts lightreceived through the lens unit to an electrical signal, a housing, whichsupports the lens unit, and a shield can, which supports a lower side ofthe housing and is made of a conductive metallic material so as toshield an electromagnetic wave.

The shield can cover the image sensing unit. The camera module canfurther include a filter unit, which is interposed between the lens unitand the image sensing unit so as to shield infrared light.

The image sensing unit can include an image sensor, which converts lightreceived through the lens unit to an electrical signal, and a substrate,which has the image sensor mounted thereon. The shield can be groundedto the substrate.

A downwardly-protruded fixing protrusion can be formed on a lowersurface of the shield can, and a fixing indentation can be formed in thesubstrate, in which the fixing protrusion is inserted into the fixingindentation.

Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will be setforth in part in the description which follows, and in part will beobvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a camera module in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a camera module in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a camera module in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating an assembly of a housing and ashield can in a camera module in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a shield can, a housing and afilter unit in a camera module in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a lower surface of an assemblyof a housing and a shield can in a camera module in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a camera module in accordance withanother embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a camera module in accordance withanother embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a camera module in accordancewith another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a camera module in accordance with yetanother embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a camera module in accordance withyet another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The features and advantages of this invention will become apparentthrough the below drawings and description.

A camera module according to certain embodiments of the presentinvention will be described below in more detail with reference to theaccompanying drawings. Those components that are the same or are incorrespondence are rendered the same reference numeral regardless of thefigure number, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a camera module 1000 in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectionalview of the camera module 1000 in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the camera module1000 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includesa lens unit 100, a housing 200, an image sensing unit 400 and a shieldcan 300. With this configuration, a thinner camera module 1000 having anelectromagnetic wave shielding structure can be provided.

The lens unit 100 can be an assembly of a lens and a barrel supportingthe lens. The barrel can have a cylindrical shape, and an innercircumferential surface of the barrel can support the lens.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the camera module 1000 inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As illustratedin FIG. 3, the image sensing unit 400 can include an image sensor 410and a substrate 420.

The image sensor 410 can convert light received through the lens unit100 to an electrical signal. The substrate 420 supports a lower surfaceof the image sensor 410 and can be electrically coupled to the imagesensor 410 by way of wire bonding.

A ground pad 422 can be formed on an upper surface of the substrate 420.The ground pad 422 can be electrically coupled to a ground layer that isformed inside the substrate 420. The ground pad 422 can be in contactwith a lower surface of the shield can 300, which will be describedlater, so that the ground pad 422 can be electrically coupled to theshield can 300. Accordingly, the electromagnetic wave shieldingefficiency of the shield can 300 can be better improved.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating an assembly of the housing 200and the shield can 300 in the camera module 1000 in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is an explodedperspective view of the shield can 300, the housing 200 and a filterunit 150 in the camera module 1000 in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a lowersurface of an assembly of the housing 200 and the shield can 300 in thecamera module 1000 in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2, 4, 5 and 6, the housing 200 can support thelens unit 100. A circular-shaped through-hole 210 can be formed in anupper surface of the housing 200 to correspond to the outer shape of thebarrel.

An inner circumferential surface of the through-hole 210 can be incontact with an outer circumferential surface of the lens unit 100 andsupport the lens unit 100. Here, a thread can be formed on the outercircumferential surface of the lens unit 100 and on the innercircumferential surface of the through-hole 210, and thus the threadedlens unit 100 and the threaded through-hole 210 can be coupled to eachother. Accordingly, the lens unit 100 can be coupled to the housing 200in such a way that the lens unit 100 is vertically movable with respectto the housing 200.

The housing 200 can have a generally cylinder-shaped form, and an upperportion of the housing 200 can be outwardly extended so that the housing200 can be supported by an upper surface of the shield can 300. Then, acylinder-shaped lower portion of the housing 200 can be inserted into athrough-hole 310 of the shield can 300.

A downwardly-protruded insertion protrusion 220 can be formed on a lowersurface of the outwardly-extended upper portion of the housing 200.There can be, for example, four insertion protrusions 220, which can beinserted into an insertion hole 320, which will be described later, ofthe shield can 300. With this configuration, the positional relationshipbetween the housing 200 and the shield can 300 can be stabilized.

Therefore, the upper portion of the housing 200 is coupled to the uppersurface of the shield can 300, and thus the shield can 300 can supportthe housing 200 entirely from the lower side of the housing 200.

Meanwhile, the through-hole 210, into which the lens unit 100 can beinserted, can be formed in the center of the upper surface of thehousing 200.

The filter unit 150 can block infrared light and include, for example,an IR filter (infrared cut-off filter). The filter unit 150 can beinterposed between the lens unit 100 and the image sensing unit 400 andcoupled to inner surfaces of the shield can 300. Here, the filter unit150 can be coupled to the inner surfaces of the shield can 300 by wayof, for example, bonding or snug fitting.

By supporting the housing 200, the shield can 300 can support the lensunit 100. The upper surface of the shield can 300 can support an upperside of the housing 200. Here, by inserting the insertion protrusion 220into the insertion hole 320, the lower surface of the housing 200 can becoupled to the upper surface of the shield can 300.

The shield can 300 can be vertically thicker than the housing 200.Accordingly, a lower end of the shield can 300, which supports a lowerside of the housing 200, can be coupled to an upper surface of thesubstrate 420, and thus the shield can 300 can support the lens unit 100above the image sensing unit 400. Thus, a thinner camera module 1000 canbe provided.

Since the shield can 300 itself is made of a conductive metallicmaterial, the shield can 300 can shield an electromagnetic wave. Here,in any other portions of the shield can 300 than the through-hole, intowhich the lens unit 100 is inserted, and the insertion hole 320, theshield can 300 does not have an opening that may be formed on onesurface thereof or a seam that may be formed at the edge where twosurfaces thereof meet. Therefore, the image sensing unit 400 can becompletely sealed from the outside, thereby improving the efficiency ofshielding the electromagnetic wave.

Therefore, by having the shield can 300 support the lower side of thehousing 200, which supports the lens unit 100, inside the shield can300, and having the lower end of the shield can 300 couple to the imagesensing unit 400, a thinner type of camera module 1000 can be provided.At the same time, since the shield can 300 is grounded to the substrate420 and made of a conductive metallic material that completely shieldsthe image sensing unit 400, the electromagnetic wave shieldingefficiency of the shield can 300 can be better improved.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a camera module 2000 in accordance withanother embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is across-sectional view of the camera module 2000 in accordance withanother embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in FIGS. 7and 8, the camera module 2000 of the present embodiment can include afixing protrusion 305 and a fixing indentation 405, which are coupled toeach other. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the camera module2000 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. Asillustrated in FIG. 9, the image sensor 410 can be mounted on thesubstrate 420, and a solder cream 430 can be coated on the edge of theimage sensor 410 and the substrate 420.

The fixing protrusion 305 can be formed at a lower end part of theshield can 300, and the fixing indentation 405 can be formed at the edgeof the substrate 420 in accordance with the position of the fixingprotrusion 305.

Accordingly, when coupling an assembly of the lens unit 100, the housing200, the filter unit 150 and the shield can 300 over the image sensingunit 400, the fixing protrusion 305 can be inserted into the fixingindentation 405, and then the solder cream 430 can be heated. Thus, notonly can the assembly and the substrate 420 be coupled to each otherstructurally, but they can also be coupled to each other electrically.

Therefore, since the shield can 300 can be electrically grounded to thesubstrate 420, the electromagnetic wave shielding efficiency of theshield can 300 can be better improved.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a camera module 3000 in accordance withyet another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is across-sectional view of the camera module 3000 in accordance with yetanother embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in FIGS. 10and 11, the camera module 3000 of the present embodiment can omit thehousing 200 described above.

A thread can be formed on the outer circumferential surface of the lensunit 100 and the inner circumferential surface of the through-hole inthe upper surface of the shield can 300, and thus the threaded lens unit100 can be screwed to the threaded shield can 300.

Here, the filter unit 150 can be coupled to a lower surface of the lensunit 100. It is also possible that the filter unit 150 can be directlycoupled to the inner surfaces of the shield can 300.

Accordingly, the shield can 300 of the camera module 3000 of the presentembodiment can directly support the lens unit 100 over the substrate 410and completely cover the image sensing unit 400. Thus, a thinner cameramodule 3000 can be provided, and the electromagnetic wave shieldingefficiency of the shield can 300 can be better improved.

Like the previously described embodiments of the present invention, theshield can 300 of the present embodiment can be grounded to thesubstrate 410, and thus the electromagnetic wave shielding efficiency ofthe shield can 300 can be better improved.

By utilizing certain embodiments of the present invention as set forthabove, a smaller camera module can be implemented.

While the spirit of the present invention has been described in detailwith reference to particular embodiments, the embodiments are forillustrative purposes only and shall not limit the present invention. Itis to be appreciated that those skilled in the art can change or modifythe embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of thepresent invention.

1. A camera module comprising: a lens unit; an image sensing unitconfigured to convert light received through the lens unit to anelectrical signal, the image sensing unit comprises an image sensorconfigured to convert light received through the lens unit to anelectrical signal and a substrate having the image sensor mountedthereon; a housing supporting the lens unit; and a shield can supportinga lower side of the housing and made of a conductive metallic materialso as to shield an electromagnetic wave, wherein a downwardly-protrudedfixing protrusion is formed on a lower surface of the shield can, and afixing indentation is formed in the substrate, the fixing protrusionbeing inserted into the fixing indentation.
 2. The camera module ofclaim 1, wherein the shield can covers the image sensing unit.
 3. Thecamera module of claim 1, further comprising a filter unit interposedbetween the lens unit and the image sensing unit so as to shieldinfrared light.
 4. The camera module of claim 1, wherein the shield canis grounded to the substrate.